GSK Spine

GSK Spine | Greg S. Khounganian, MD

5525 Etiwanda Ave., #311 | Tarzana | 818-343-4430 | GSKspine.com

Services Offered

• Minimally invasive spine surgery
• Lumbar microdiscectomy
• Lumbar laminectomy
• Lumbar fusion
• Lumbar disc replacement
• Cervical disc replacement
• Cervical discectomy and fusion
• Cervical decompression
• Revision cervical and lumbar procedures

Q&A:

To what do you attribute your practice’s growth?

“Our approach to helping patients navigate through the treatment process—starting with the initial consult and gradually progressing through different modes of treatment. We try to maximize our patients’ improvement without surgery. And when surgery is inevitable, we provide our patients with the time necessary to discuss the plan and any questions they may have regarding the preparation, day of surgery and post-operative recovery process. We are there throughout the entire process and see patients periodically a er surgery to evaluate their progression through the recovery.”

What services do you offer that are unique?
“Often patients ask about their recovery and ability to return to work. We offer some of the most minimally invasive procedures possible that help minimize scarring, incision size and postoperative pain. This allows our patients to return to their active lifestyle and work as quickly as possible. Patients often go home the same day and have the ability to recover in the comfort of their own home. We also help coordinate postoperative physical therapy, both at home and at a facility. My regimen consists of a gradual and supervised progression in activities. This helps build goals and advance physical PRE-OP activity tailored to each individual patient and their own personal physical activity goals.”

What’s most rewarding about your work?
“By far, the most rewarding aspect of what I do is helping people return to their life after surgery. Often patients are so debilitated by their pain due to their condition that they can’t work or enjoy activities with their family. Seeing a patient through the process of their first consultation and progressing them through the treatment process—whether it be surgical or not—is highly rewarding.”

Wise Words
Some of the best ways a patient can avoid back problems is exercise and a healthy lifestyle. Some simple activities are core-strengthening activities to provide stability to the lumbar spine through low back and abdominal muscles. I have often recommended yoga and Pilates as a great way to maximize core strength through body resistance exercises, stretching and all done with minimal to low impact maneuvers. Weight loss can also provide a tremendous amount of relief for low back pain. As little as 10 pounds of weight reduction can reduce a significant amount of low back stress.

Area of Expertise
Minimally invasive spine surgery and same-day surgery is the area we focus on for our patients. Often the procedures we perform can be outpatient and allow patients to recover in the comfort of their own home. As a board- certified spine surgeon, I have performed many cervical and lumbar surgeries in this manner and find that it is the best way to optimize patient outcome.

Neutral Extension Flexion Before & After
The pictures are pre-operative MRI with a cervical disc herniation. The X-rays are pictures of the mobile cervical disc replacement that continues to move, as seen by the Neutral/Flexion/ Extension images. Continued motion with disc replacement without fusing helps spare premature degeneration of the segments adjacent to the procedure.